'Drinks' on Serious Eats

According to owner Chris Lawrence, San Francisco's newest brewhouse will concentrate on a lineup of clean, dry, easy-drinking West Coast-style beers. This sounds about right for a restaurant with a biergarten out front that should support lots of sunny-day drinking. But with local winery A.P. Vin as a neighbor, Southern Pacific has already started experimenting with aging its beer in used wine barrels. Join us for a little tour of the newest brewery-by-the-bay. More

Cocchi (pronounced "COKE-ey", not "COACH-ey") Americano has made itself comfortable in craft-cocktail bars across the country since its wide-scale release in mid-2010. Largely unheard of only a year ago, and still a boutique novelty in the cities where it has popped up, Cocchi has nevertheless turned the heads of scores of bartenders and thousands of curious drinkers in just a few short months, sparking stories in the several publications recently. So what's the deal?More

To strain a cocktail, you'll need a strainer, naturally, and a couple of types are available. Traditionally, the julep strainer is used when straining a cocktail from a mixing glass, and the Hawthorne when straining from a mixing tin. The reason is simple: The julep strainer fits a mixing glass better than a Hawthorne does, and the Hawthorne's a better fit than a julep when using a tin. More

In a former life The Bedford was Sound Fix, a record store with vinyl up front and a bar in the rear, a moody little space set up for small shows. The new New American bistro has kept up the split, minus the bands: you can stop in the first room for a full farm to table dinner, or move on back and settle in for the night. More

American artisanal cider makers (like craft beer brewers) experiment with a range of styles using a number of different brewing techniques, yeast strains, and apple varietals. This can be exciting for the contemporary cider drinker, but it can also be overwhelming. Here are a few key terms to help you understand the labels and choose the right cider for your table. More

Not everyone at your party will be drinking alcohol, even if it's a kids-free event. Providing booze-free drinks for your guests is just good hosting. One fun way to impress your guests is with house-made sodas. More

Fruit smoothies, chocolate smoothies, almond-based numbers, fig milkshakes, and a twist on the traditional Vietnamese ca phe su da. These drinks are perfect for life on the go, and many can suffice as a meal—or dessert, at the very least! Today we bring you our Top 5 Sweets Drinks of 2010. More

One of the oldest commercial soft drinks, Moxie's got a strong New England following. It starts out tasting like cola or root beer, but quickly moves on to a more medicinal bent with notes of wintergreen and bitters. Not surprising, as its main flavoring is gentian root, where many bitters get their characteristic, well, bitterness. More

The best way to a beer lover's heart might be through a rare, delicious brew, but here are a few other gift ideas for lager lovers and ale aficionados. Be sure to watch shipping dates and order any online gifts soon!More

For those unaccustomed to consuming alcoholic drinks that taste like, well, alcohol, the toddy can be a bit of a challenge. To those who genuinely like the taste of whisky, rum, or almost anything except vodka (I can't recall coming across a tequila toddy, but such a thing is not without potential merit), the hot toddy is the way to go. More

Nobody can survive the holidays on egg nog alone. Here are 10 ways to keep your caffeinated loved ones perky in the New Year. From coffee subscriptions to hand grinders, t-shirts to coffee beer—these gifts will make joe drinkers smile. More

Since hot chocolate/cocoa is one of our favorite insides-warmers this chilly time of year, we set out to find the best. We tried 17 brands total. Find out how Swiss Miss compared to Ghirardelli and Jacques Torres, and which was like drinking pudding. More

The term "chicory coffee" conjures romantic images of leisurely breakfasts in New Orleans, munching beignets and sipping from a steaming mug while the lazy strains of jazzy trumpets float through the air. But what the heck is it, and is it actually good, or just a French Quarter daydream? Let's get down to the root of the root that makes this chicory coffee thing.More

From its traditional, performative hot preparation to its myriad tasty and bizarre food applications, matcha's uniqueness in the tea world comes not only from its flavor but also from its composition.More

I think of Portland, Oregon as Beervana—and it is—but freshly brewed ale isn't the only impressive thing on the PDX beverage scene. Last week I sipped my way around Puddletown, sampling creative cocktails, micro-roasted coffee, and yes, a few excellent beers. See the most delicious drinks we tried in this slideshow. More

Single-malt scotch whiskies may get the lion's share of attention from whisky aficionados, but blended whiskies are the biggest sellers. But "blend" can mean different things for different whiskies, with the resulting products ranging from excellent to execrable. More